I have just done my first month as President of the coolest club and what a roller coaster it has been! Butterflies nazo?

The new Rotary year started off with
a bang. That was the plan – to start the year on a high – so we can ride the
high tide for a good part of the year.

But first, a recap. We ended the Rotary year with an excellent evening fellowship that was graced by Ian Mbugua. That last fellowship reminded me of closing day during my primary school days. All Nairobi East members turned up looking jovial and ready to give Immediate Past President (IPP) Tito Tadeo a warm send-off. We also had a beautiful mentorship and project visit to Enkereiyan Primary School in Kajiado.

A Bollywood night

I am honoured by the amazing installation dinner that the Club hosted for me on Saturday, July 6th. I thank IPP Tito for handing over power peacefully. Haaa!! I also thank the organizing committee chaired by President-Elect (PE) Tom Shivo who together with his team, made the event successful. We had a turnout of 140 guests led by District Governor Joe Otin and Past District Governor (PDG) Eric Kimani and his wife Margaret Munene.

The new Rotary year started off with a bang. That was the plan – to start the year on a high – so we can ride the high tide for a good part of the year.

In my speech, I highlighted three
main things that I and the Board will focus on this year:

Connect members to the
club, our Rotaract Clubs, Interactors and our Rotary Community Corps.

Connect Rotary to corporates.
Many corporates have community social responsibility projects but have no
structure and depth. Our club can provide the execution platform for them
through partnerships.

Connect Rotary to the community.
I believe there’s more work to be done on the six focus areas of Rotary so our
impact can be felt in the communities we serve.

I am also very happy to announce that PE Tom Shivo will be spearheading the review of our Club’s strategic plan. The three-year strategy now needs to be updated as part of our forward-thinking. As you know, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. As one of the biggest clubs in District 9212, a solid strategic plan will guide all our club activities as we elevate our game.

Vibrant
weekly fellowship meetings

One of the things I am keen on seeing this year is good and regular attendance to our weekly meetings. I appreciate the effort and time Nairobi East members set aside to attend meetings every Tuesday. I have challenged myself and I would like to promise you that attending meetings will be worth your while. So please just block your diary every Tuesday lunchtime.

In July, we had five weeks and five amazing speakers! Our turn out to meetings has been very encouraging. I salute everyone who attended our fellowships. Asante Sana. I also got the privilege to present my plans to members. Details of what my Board and I have planned this year are HERE. Thank you for the overwhelming feedback you shared with me.

Members pose for a photo with Peter Nduati.

Our first guest speaker was the
Board Chairman of the Central Bank of Kenya, Mohammed Nyaoga who spoke about
how regulators transform the lives of the society through exercising the
autonomy they have around the institutions they supervise in order to promote
accountability, integrity and equity.

We also hosted Peter Nduati who
delivered an excellent talk that focused on living a full life. His presentation
was particularly interesting because he used a case study of his personal life based
on his three main hobbies:- horses, rugby and music. For more about Peter’s inspiring
talk, read HERE.

Other speakers at the club were the
US Ambassador Kyle McCarter and former Kitui County Senator
Hon. David Musila.

We were honoured to host Ambassador McCarter who was posted to Kenya in January 2019. He gave an interesting talk that touched on good governance, the rule of law and the role of citizens in creating a steady economic growth.

US Ambassador Kyle McCarter speaking at Nairobi East.

We are the first Rotary Club in the District Ambassador McCarter has spoken at. The fellowship attracted over 90 Rotarians and guests. The
guests included 10 current and Past Presidents and Rotarians from 11 clubs.

Hon Musila closed the month with a storytelling evening that was more like a history class. Hon Musila released his memoirs in March 2019. He shared about his career in public service and what it took to write down his memoirs. At the end of the evening, Rotarians got a chance to buy his book and have it autographed. If you want to know the juicy details of the 1982 coup, I highly recommend you get a copy of his book Seasons of Hope.

Hon Musila closed the month with a storytelling evening that was more like a history class. Hon Musila released his memoirs in March 2019.

Dear Members, our objective
this year is to have a varied selection of guest speakers. If you have any
recommendations of individuals who can speak at our weekly fellowships, contact
the Club Speaker Secretary Carole Kimutai on (nerotary@gmail.com).

A night with Rotaractors

For the first time in the 29 year
history of the Rotary Club of Nairobi East, members attended what would be
considered an extremely creative installation party of the Rotaract Club of
Nairobi East.

The installation was a three days
affair. Yes, three days – camping rendezvous at the beautiful Olooiden campsite
in Naivasha. What a way to usher in the new Rotary year! What a way to install
a new President.

As former Rotary International President Barry Rasin used to say, Rotaract is the future of Rotary. I fully agree with him. This year be ready to engage more with Rotaractors.

As former Rotary International President Barry Rasin used to say, Rotaract is the future of Rotary.

Socials by the family of Rotary committee

The reason we have vocations in
Rotary is for us to use them. Rotary is the place your skill/vocation/talent is
showcased. Our Family of Rotary Director this year is Duncan Muriuki, a
hospitality expert with many years’ experience to his credit. If there is
anyone who can show you the meaning of hospitality, it is certainly Duncan!

Duncan and his committee kicked off the year with a hang out at the Nairobi National Park on the last Saturday of July. In partnership with the Rotaract Club of Nairobi East, the social was attended by almost 20 Rotarians and Rotaractors who spent a cosy afternoon networking over food and drinks. If it wasn’t for the curfew and the KWS wardens chasing us away, I can bet we would have left the Park in the morning! If you missed, make sure you attend the next social that is coming up on Saturday, August 10.

In partnership with the Rotaract Club of Nairobi East, the social was attended by almost 20 Rotarians and Rotaractors who spent a cozy afternoon networking over food and drinks.

What
August has in store for us

August is Membership Month. This month, we will focus on engaging how we will transition Rotaractors to Rotary. This month we will host a Rotary 101 open day. Please invite your friends, family and colleagues to come and learn about Rotary. The objective of Rotary 101 is to interact with prospective members.

To help you plan your month better, below is a list of all the activities we have planned for you in the month of August 2019.

Our August 2019 events

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